Feast of Saint Francis de Sales

Philothea Missionaries with the Patron Bishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba

Friends of Philothea!

Philothea! Lovers of God!

Jackson Mugo Receiving the Certificate for successfully completing the Journey in Christ Programme from the Bishop

The Lord is my strength and shield

Dear Philothea!

Our father Saint Francis de Sales possessed great trust in the provident love of the Heavenly Father, and asked his spiritual children to cultivate the same. This is one of his well-known teachings on the subject:

“Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually: The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart has trusted in Him and I am helped. he is not only with me, but in me and I in Him” (Saint Francis de Sales).

Jesus our Lord and God said: “Think of the ravens. They do not sow or reap; they have no storehouses and no barns; yet God feeds them. And how much more you are worth than the birds! Can any of you, however much you worry, add a single cubit to your span of life?

Wish you a trustful week.

Peace!

Fr. George

God's ways and our ways

Dear Philothea!

Many times we don’t understand God’s ways – that is, His ways of leading us in holiness. We want our life to go on smoothly without any problems, without anyone challenging us for our failures and so on. In short, we are hesitant to take the food that God offers, and prefer to follow our own tastes. This is how our Father Francis de Sales describes this state of our heart!

“God gave the children of Israel manna in the desert, a most delicious food; and what happens? They do not want it but set their heart on the garlic and onions of Egypt. Our miserable nature always wants to have things its own way and not God's way” (Selected Letters 59)

Let us accept the “food” that God has prepared for us, even if at times it is bitter. God’s ways are for our final salvation; instead our ways may lead us to perdition.

Wish you a wonderful week.

Peace!

Fr. George

How to Speak of God

Dear Philothea!

As “lovers of God” it is inevitable and important that we speak to God and of God many times. What counsel does our father Saint Francis de Sales give us on this?

“Always speak of God as of God, that is to say, with reverence and devotion without affectation or playing the preacher but with a spirit of gentleness, of charity and humility... Never speak of God or devotion negligently for the sake of talking, but always with attention and devotion. I say this for taking away from you a special kind of vanity which I find in many who make a profession of devotion. They say some fervent holy words at every turn by way of social tact without thinking of what they say. After saying them, they think that they are such as their words are, but it is not so” (IDL, Part III, Chapter 26).

Yes, if we love God we must speak of Him, and speak of Him with love, reverence, humility and gentleness: “Wisdom comes from the lips of the upright, and his tongue speaks what is right” (Psalm 37:30).

Wish you a week full of wisdom.

Peace!

Fr. George

Spiritual Director

Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of Ngong 
Mgr. John Oballa Owaa & Father George

Dear Philothea!

We have just begun the Novena in honour of our father Saint Francis de Sales. He was very much concerned about the holiness of everyone, and tried to trace a path to assist them in that. The following is one of his counsels to those who truly are “seeking God” (read: “devout life”) in their life:

“To preserve in devout life it is a matter of deciding upon some excellent and generous maxims, with the right intention. The first I would suggest to you is that of Saint Paul, “All turns out well for those who love God” (cf. Rom 8:28). If we agree that God can and does draw good out of evil, will He not do that especially for those who give themselves to Him without reserve? Even our very sins (from which may God preserve us!) are destined by Providence for the good of those who serve God. If David had not sinned, he would not have learned his deep sense of humility!...” (Letters 1420)

If David had not sinned...

May the teachings of Saint Francis de Sales act as lighted-lamps illumining our way to God.

Have a blessed week with lots of affectionate thoughts of our father!

Peace!

Fr. George

Spiritual Director

Novena to Saint Francis de Sales

Prayer to Saint Francis de Sales

(As a Novena Prayer you may recite the following prayer from Sunday the 15th January ending on 23rd January. The Feast is on Tuesday24th)

Saint Francis de Sales
Pray for us!

Dear Saint Francis de Sales, by your life and in your writings you teach us to follow Christ by loving God our Father, and all other persons, our brothers and sisters. Obtain for us the grace to be led by the Holy Spirit, so that we show our love for God by fidelity to prayer, by diligence in our work, by cheerful service of others.

Teach us to be patient and forgiving, kind and helpful to all. Help us to face the difficulties and sufferings of life with a heart full of trust in God our ever-loving Father.

Dear Saint Francis de Sales, while on earth you were always ready to help those in need. Come to my aid and obtain for me from God, through the intercession of Our Lady, the special grace for which I now pray.

[Pause]

O gentle Saint Francis, bless our home with your presence. May our hearts glow with love for God and a sincere concern for others, so that our lives may show in word and deed the blessing of your patronage. Amen.

Dear Philothea!

Our father Saint Francis de Sales is renowned for his teaching on doing everything motivated by love and not by force. At the beginning of the New Year, it might be a very good resolution to take, to put love into all our actions; we fulfil our duties because we LOVE it. Our Father says,

All by LOVE!

“All that we do must be motivated by love and not force. We must love to obey rather than fear to disobey. I leave you the spirit of liberty; not the liberty that excluded obedience, because this would be a liberty of the flesh, but the true spirit of liberty which includes obedience. When you have to omit your practices of piety for a just and charitable reason, I want you to make use of this occasion as a kind of obedience; then love will compensate for the spiritual exercises you have missed” (Letters 234).

Have a very “loving” year, will you?

Peace!

Fr. George

Spiritual Director